Matt Malloy Movies
- 2007
Filmmaker Matthew Buzzell takes a break from documentaries to helm this mockumentary concerning an indie filmmaker who attempts to reunite a once-successful 1990s-era pop duo. Michele Mulroney and Micah Schraft share a co-writing credit for the screenplay and star in a film featuring appearances by Chris Parnell, Mink Stole, Diedrich Bader, and Arabella Field. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Mulroney, Micah Schraft, (more)
In the tradition of Dore Schary's Sunrise at Campobello, the made-for-cable biopic Warm Springs focuses on one of the least publicized aspects in the life of America's most-publicized (and longest-serving) president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, here played brilliantly by British actor Kenneth Branagh. Like Sunrise, Warm Springs uses as its starting point the year 1921, when the 39-year-old Roosevelt was permanently paralyzed from the waist down by an attack of polio. But whereas the earlier film concentrated on FDR's battle to return to public life despite his handicap, this film zeroes in on Roosevelt's efforts to cure himself of his affliction. Having heard of the therapeutic value of the waters of Warm Springs in rural Georgia, Roosevelt makes a pilgrimage to the area, which is little more than a swamp surrounded by dilapidated shacks. Though he never experiences the "miracle" cure that he so desperately seeks, Roosevelt is instrumental in the conversion of Warm Springs from a backwater hellhole to a streamlined, efficiently managed polio-treatment center, a virtual mecca for hundreds of thousands of others who had been crippled by the debilitating illness. And in the process, he also brings hope, optimism, and racial enlightenment to the poverty-stricken, multiethnic citizens of Warm Springs. Even more significantly, FDR removes the stigma of polio from the public consciousness, forever abolishing the misguided notions that the disease adversely affected the brain, that it could be spread merely by physical contact, or that it represented celestial "punishment" of the victim (it is noted, however, that Roosevelt was always careful never to reveal the true extent of his immobility nor his atrophied legs in public, feeling that it might diminish the nation's image of an "invulnerable" Commander in Chief). Also in the cast are Cynthia Nixon as Roosevelt's devoted wife, Eleanor; Jane Alexander (who'd previously played Eleanor Roosevelt in two TV miniseries) as his over-protective mother Sara; David Paymer as his crusty chief aide Louis Howe; Kathy Bates as his no-nonsense physical therapist Helena Mahoney; and Tim Blake Nelson as Tom Loyless, the man in charge of Warm Springs. Originally telecast by HBO on April 30, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Cynthia Nixon, (more)
- 2005
Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) agrees to return to the clinic on one condition: House (Hugh Laurie) must take her out on a dinner date. As the rest of the staffers place bets as to the outcome of this auspicious social event, the clinic treats a young stroke victim (John Cho) whose condition may be the result of a mistake on the part of House--or it may be due to the patient's rather kinky "personal guru" (Christina Cox). Elsewhere, House must play counselor to a pair of senior citizens (Peter Graves June Squibb) who are squabbling over the man's heightened post-Viagra sex drive! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
When HIV-positive teenager Lisa Downey (Janae Kram) is found murdered, it is revealed that she was carrying her older cousin Allison's ID. Unbeknownst to her family, Lisa had been living a double life as a hooker and porn-film actress, making her connections via the internet. After several suspects are questioned and released, the SVU teams is convinced that they've found their murderer--only to be thrown for a loop when he turns up dead, along with another teenage hooker. This episode is capped with a bravura performance by future Heroes costar Hayden Panettiere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
In the series' 200th episode, the employees of Piltdown and Sons, a small Manhattan watchmakers shop, are informed on Christmas Eve that the shop is closing and they will all be out of work. Their last assignment is to repair a pocket watch found in the rubble of the Twin Towers after 9/11, and return the timepiece to the owners' widow before Christmas. Appearing on the scene as the shop's financial adviser, Gloria (Valerie Bertinelli) is quick to see that the story's ending will be an unhappy one unless the disgruntled employees can set aside their own anger and bitterness in order to bring a small ray of hope to someone even worse off than themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, often regarded as one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century, is brought to the screen in this made-for-TV feature, produced in collaboration with the A&E Cable Network in the United States, and Granada Entertainment in Great Britain. Nick Carraway (Paul Rudd) is a young bond salesman who rents a cottage near the mansion of the wealthy but reclusive Jay Gatsby (Toby Stephens). In time, Nick gets to know his neighbor, who has accumulated a vast fortune through vague, suspect means, but has carefully forged an outward image of refinement and charm. Years ago, before he left to fight in World War I, Gatsby was a poor man named Gatz and was in love with a beautiful woman from a wealthy family, Daisy (Mira Sorvino). When he returned, Gatz was determined to remake himself so that he might be seen fit to someday win her hand, even though Daisy had by this time married the socially prominent but boorish Tom Buchanan (Martin Donovan). Gatsby has yet to give up on his romantic dream and enlists Nick, who is distantly related to Daisy, in his plan. This production marked the fourth time that The Great Gatsby had been committed to film -- the best known version being Jack Clayton's 1974 adaptation, featuring Robert Redford as Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino, (more)
Campbell Scott is both star and co-director of this elaborate (albeit economically produced) four-hour TV version of Shakespeare's immortal tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The film is based on Scott's earlier theatrical production of the same play, with several of the same actors repeating their same roles. Updated to 1900 New York, the text remains substantially the same as it has always been: Hamlet (Scott), the "melancholy" Danish prince, discovers to his horror that his late father, the King, was murdered by his brother (and Hamlet's uncle) Claudius (Jamey Sheridan), who upon ascending to the throne, added insult to injury by wedding Hamlet's mother, Gertrude (Blair Brown). Though his desire for revenge is strong, Hamlet does not want any more bloodshed, and concocts an elaborate scheme to "catch the conscience" of Claudius and force him into a confession. Part of this scheme involves Hamlet's feigned descent into madness -- which, as interpreted by Scott, may not be as "feigned" as he thinks it is. Caught in the middle of this intrigue is Hamlet's lady love, Ophelia (Lisa Gay Hamilton), daughter of Claudius' chief consul, Polonius (played in the manner of a protocol-conscious Victorian diplomat by Roscoe Lee Browne). Some of the choices made by Scott in adapting Hamlet to the screen -- the turn-of-the-century setting; the utilization of black actors in the roles of Polonius, Ophelia, and Laertes (who is played by Roger Guenveur Smith); the casting of Byron Jennings to play both the Ghost of Hamlet's father and the Player King, who pretends to be the father -- were applauded by the critics. Other innovations, notably the use of slow jazz music throughout the action, and Hamlet's violent treatment of poor Ophelia during the "Get thee to a nunnery" scene, were not so enthusiastically received. Whatever the case, Scott does a remarkable job with a tiny budget and a slim 29-day shooting schedule. In addition to the actors' lilting interpretation of the Shakespearean dialogue and soliloquies, the film boasts a truly exciting climactic duel, shot in long takes without the use of stunt doubles. Initially produced for a theatrical release, this Hamlet made its American debut as a cable TV miniseries on the Odyssey Channel, beginning December 10, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Campbell Scott, Blair Brown, (more)
Tom Selleck stretches his dramatic range by playing a liberal Democrat in this comedy-drama satirizing the underside of party politics. Governor James Pryce (Tom Selleck) is a well-respected politician with a strong reformist streak who is a shoo-in for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, thanks to a well-run primary campaign organized by his manager Lauren Hartman (Laura Linney), and the savvy speechmaking and moral support of his wife Jenny (Nancy Travis). Now Pryce has to pick a vice-presidential candidate, which proves to be not all that simple. Senator Parker Gable (Robert Culp) helped give Pryce his start in politics, and his wife Meg (Faye Dunaway), a Queen Bee on the Washington social scene, has asked Pryce to consider Gable as VP. Pryce believes Gable would be the right man for the job, but he's well known to chase anything in a skirt, and Pryce thinks his nomination would be a scandal waiting to happen. Besides Gable, the two most likely choices for Pryce's running mate are Senator Mitchell Morris (Bruce McGill), whose strong links to a number of corporate benefactors make Pryce nervous, and Senator Terrence Randall (Bob Grunton), whose outspoken support of campaign finance reform does not sit well with Shawna Morgan (Teri Hatcher), the fundraising expert who has been filling Pryce's war chest. Running Mates was produced for the TNT cable network, where it first aired on August 13, 2000; Gerald Rafshoon, the film's executive producer, has an inside perspective on Washington wheelings and dealings, having served as White House director of communications under President Jimmy Carter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Laura Linney, (more)
- 2000
The alienating effects of racism are explored in this auteurist debut from editor, producer, writer, director, and star Abraham Lim. Set and shot in Kansas City, Roads concerns the inner rage of Johnson Lee (Lim), an Asian-American man who -- spurned by the death of a loved one and the casual racism all around him -- has withdrawn from farm-belt society. He takes to dodging freight trains at night, a pastime which quickly gets him in trouble with the law. Sentenced to picking trash off the sides of roads, Johnson becomes friends with the road crew's foreman, Daryl Logan (Gregory Sullivan). As Daryl and Johnson share their stories of bigotry, they come to a higher understanding of the modern-day Midwest. Legendary filmmaker and Kansas City native Robert Altman co-produced Lim's low-budget labor of love. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Abraham Lim
- 1999
Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), Costas (Sharon Lawrence), and Dornan (Richard Gant) close in on the murderer who framed Suarez -- and who is dying of leukemia. A case involving retired cops who appear to have gone bad results in friction between the squad, the Internal Affairs Bureau, and the FBI. Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) worries that he might get in trouble for accepting a gift of free Chinese food. And the still-grieving Diane (Kim Delaney) meets the wife of the man whose heart was donated to the late Bobby Simone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A struggling filmmaker trying to climb the show business ladder befriends an actor who's heading down the same ladder at a furious pace in this dark comedy. George (Jamie Kennedy), an aspiring writer who does temp work to make ends meet, longs to break into show business where he can get to know his favorite stars. One night, George is invited to a party and he meets Kyle Carey (Loren Dean), one of his favorite actors. Kyle's star has fallen quite a bit in recent months, but George doesn't seem to be aware of this, and he's thrilled to be spending time with a genuine celebrity, even if Kyle only seems to call when he needs help with something. As George spends his evenings with Kyle and his girlfriend Iona (Carmen Electra), a model, he's convinced he's found the fast track to a career in Hollywood, until Kyle calls him one night asking a rather unexpected favor -- he's been fired from his latest picture and doesn't have a place to stay, so can he move in for a while? Starstruck, which was produced under the title Starf*cker, also stars Bridgette Wilson, Spencer Garrett, Clarence Williams III, and Marlo Thomas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Kennedy, Loren Dean, (more)
- 1995
The sixth-season opener of Law & Order finds detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) teamed with a new partner, Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt). For their first assignment together, Briscoe and Curtis try to piece together the last hours in the life of a murdered girl, using an ATM machine film to determine what happened to the victim between her classroom and her music lesson. The results of the investigation lead to a revenge killing -- which many observers regard as "justice." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This is the second dramatic feature to be made in Imax 3-D. The plotline, of a Russian immigrant boy who has come to New York to search for his long missing relatives only provides a thin excuse to offer an unparalleled, spectacular show case of the Big Apple, past and present. The past images were created from an enormous assortment of old stereoscopic photographs that offer the audience a rare glimpse of the city's early history and the fascinating lives of those who lived there. The present images are presented from a wide variety of viewpoints as Thomas, the 11-year-old protagonist, rides the roller coasters of Coney Island, experiences his first subway ride, and imagines that he is a bird over Manhattan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A newly excavated skeleton forces Assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) to reopen a murder case that he worked on years earlier. The wily "perpetrator" in the original case, Phillip Swann (Zeljko Ivanek), hopes to use the rediscovered remains to force a new trial. But as so often happens in Law & Order, what seems obvious at first is likely to change at a moment's notice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The discovery of a nude woman's body in a Manhattan elevator, six months after a similar discovery in another state, indicates that a serial killer is at large. The police manage to collar the killer, whereupon assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) endeavors to have the accused stand trial in New York. But his efforts may be thwarted by the parents of the killer's previous victim, who intend to have the man tried in their own state -- where the death penalty is all but mandatory in such cases. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Made for PBS' American Playhouse, Surviving Desire is a very short romantic comedy starring Martin Donovan and Mary Ward. He's an uninspired college literature professor. She's a kooky student, and the only member of Donovan's class who doesn't doze off during his lectures. The comedy relies upon the inevitable pairing of two vague, aimless, but very recognizable campus types. The videocassette version of Surving Desire is filled out with two other short subjects directed by Hal Hartley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Donovan, Mary Ward, (more)
Although it took eight years for cult director Frank Henenlotter to revisit the twisted world of Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his basket-bound, mutant former Siamese twin Belial, this sequel picks up the plot mere moments after the original Basket Case ended, finding the psychically-linked brothers mangled but very much alive after the rather aggressive tiff that pitched them out a Bowery flophouse window. They manage to elude the authorities, escape the hospital (to avoid having to explain the dozen-or-so murders committed by gnarled, lumpy Belial), and eventually find sanctuary at the palatial home of Granny Ruth (jazz songbird Annie Ross), an eccentric activist who rallies the cause of "Unique Individuals" like Belial who have been ostracized by society for their horrific appearance and behavior. (Unique, indeed... Ruth's tenants run the gamut from a boy with 18-inch teeth to a woman who looks like a
hammerhead shark in a summer frock.) Although the pair soon grow quite accustomed to their new home, they are eventually forced to confront their murderous past, thanks to a tabloid reporter and a cynical cop, both of whom come to regret sticking their noses into places where such appendages tend to get bitten off. Henenlotter deserves credit for exploring new terrain in this interesting follow-up, but his reliance on outrageous makeup effects diminishes the effectiveness of the "Monsters Are People Too" theme -- it's hard to work up much empathy toward Ruth's charges, depicted as mute automatons by actors wearing 70 pounds of foam latex on their heads. Not that Henenlotter doesn't return to grotesque form now and then -- particularly for the most disgusting love scene on record and the effective shock ending, which paves the way for yet another sequel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
hammerhead shark in a summer frock.) Although the pair soon grow quite accustomed to their new home, they are eventually forced to confront their murderous past, thanks to a tabloid reporter and a cynical cop, both of whom come to regret sticking their noses into places where such appendages tend to get bitten off. Henenlotter deserves credit for exploring new terrain in this interesting follow-up, but his reliance on outrageous makeup effects diminishes the effectiveness of the "Monsters Are People Too" theme -- it's hard to work up much empathy toward Ruth's charges, depicted as mute automatons by actors wearing 70 pounds of foam latex on their heads. Not that Henenlotter doesn't return to grotesque form now and then -- particularly for the most disgusting love scene on record and the effective shock ending, which paves the way for yet another sequel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Van Hentenryck, Annie Ross, (more)
- 1988
Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk, this thought-provoking made-for-television drama chronicles the court martial of the lieutenant who commandeered the U.S.S. Caine during a potentially deadly storm. The only way his attorney can save him is to prove that Captain Queeg was mentally incompetent to safely run the ship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Davis, Eric Bogosian, (more)
Filmmaker Bo Webb makes his feature directorial debut with this hybrid horror film that combines elements of a heist thriller and a zombie flick. When a group of crooks hatch a plot to rob a bank, they encounter something none of them had planned for. The crew suddenly finds themselves trapped inside the bank while a throng of blood-lusting zombies surrounds the building in search of mortal flesh. Released straight to DVD, Dead Heist stars old-school rapper Big Daddy Kane. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Tim Allen and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star in writer/director David Mamet's martial arts drama Redbelt. Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a jujitsu master who co-runs a very modest martial arts studio in Los Angeles with his bossy wife, Sondra (Alice Braga). Mike demonstrates an unwavering commitment to his craft and draws a cadre of defiantly loyal pupils including Joe (Max Martini), an LAPD cop. All told, it appears that he has chosen a peaceful and conflict-free path in life. The dedicated martial artist's fate takes an unanticipated turn, however, one evening when a young woman named Laura (Emily Mortimer) bursts into the academy in a state of near hysteria, and reaches for a policeman's gun when he tries to restrain her. One thing leads to another, and before long, Laura is regularly receiving martial arts lessons from Mike. As master begins to teach pupil and his martial arts philosophies emerge, his path also crisscrosses with that of a Hollywood movie star, Chet Frank (Tim Allen), when he saves the fellow from a beating at a local club and gets invited (along with Sondra) to Chet's house for dinner. Chet extends gestures of friendship, and Mike's guard breaks down; he speaks openly and candidly of a special martial arts method he employs that requires one of the participants to "assume a handicap." In time, the association with Chet leads to involvement in the motion-picture industry, and relations with a bevy of characters who aren't exactly what they seem -- including a pay-per-view fight mogul (Ricky Jay) and Chet's slimy and manipulative manager (Joe Mantegna). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emily Mortimer, (more)
Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) has got some problems -- when he's not at Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings hunting for women to bed, he masquerades as a choking victim in restaurants as a scheme to gather money from unsuspecting strangers, which he uses to keep his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston) in a high-end extended-care facility for her extreme dementia. But what happens when this messed up Colonial-era theme-park employee finds Mrs. Right in the guise of his mother's doctor -- and how can he give their relationship a try when she tells him he's the next coming of Jesus Christ? Based on Chuck Palahniuk's (Fight Club) pitch-black comedic novel, Choke is adapted and directed by David Mamet alumni Clark Gregg, whose career spans stage, screen, and TV work as well as a screenplay credit for Robert Zemeckis' 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, (more)
The romantic comedy Wedding Daze stars Jason Biggs as Anderson, a young man all set to ask his girlfriend to marry him when, during the actual proposal, she dies. After spending a year in a depression, Anderson impulsively asks a waitress named Katie (Ilsa Fisher) to marry him even though they have never met. When she surprisingly agrees, the two must deal with the reactions of their respective friends and families. The supporting cast includes Joe Pantoliano as Katie's convict father. Michael Ian Black, formerly of The State and Ed, made his directorial debut with this film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Biggs, Isla Fisher, (more)
David Mamet writes and directs the political thriller Spartan. Respected Secret Service agent Robert Scott (Val Kilmer) is assigned to the kidnapping case of Laura Newton (Kristen Bell), the missing daughter of a high-ranking political figure. Scott is teamed up with rookie Curtis (Derek Luke). Aided by the FBI and the CIA, the team discovers a human trafficking operation that may lead to Laura's kidnappers. Meanwhile, political operative Stoddard (William H. Macy) refuses to cooperate with the rescue mission. Scott and Curtis are forced to quit the investigation when the media reports Laura's death. Believing her to be alive, Curtis is motivated to start up a dangerous unofficial investigation of his own. Spartan premiered at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, (more)
